Updated: Arrest in Amber Kirwan Homicide investigation
UPDATED 9:00am 05/17/12
Release:
May 17, 2012, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia…Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the New Glasgow Police Service (NGPS) announced today they have laid charges in the murder of Amber Kirwan.
“Today, we are able to announce we have arrested and charged Christopher Alexander Falconer with Kidnaping and First Degree Murder in connection with the homicide of Amber Kirwan,” said RCMP Superintendent Darrell Beaton, District Policing Officer for Northeast Nova Scotia.
At approximately 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 16th, police arrested 29-year-old Christopher Alexander Falconer of Heathbell, N.S. He was arrested at Dorchester Institution in New Brunswick and will be appearing in Pictou Provincial Court today at 10:30 a.m.
Amber Kirwan was reported missing to police on October 9th, 2011. Following an intense investigation and search that involved multiple agencies and members of the public, police discovered Amber’s remains on November 5th, 2011 in a wooded lot in Heathbell, Pictou County.
“Today’s charges are the result of a lengthy and thorough investigation using a wide variety of modern day investigative techniques and forensic science technology,” said Supt. Beaton. “We hope that today’s arrest is a step forward in the healing process for Amber’s family and the entire community.”
The investigative team utilized all available resources from the New Glasgow Police Service, the local RCMP detachments in Pictou County and a range of specialized units from across the province and beyond.
“Amber’s murder was a shocking and senseless tragedy that impacted our entire community,” said Chief Delaney Chisholm of the New Glasgow Police Service. “The outpouring of support from citizens of New Glasgow and surrounding areas has been overwhelming.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the New Glasgow Police Service thank the public and the media for their assistance and continued support throughout the investigation. We cannot overemphasize the importance of community involvement in solving crimes.
UPDATED 6:57am 11/10/11
Police confirm that Chris Falconer was picked up on a parole violation on Wednesday, but say the arrest was unrelated to the Kirwan investigation.
There were conflicting reports initially that Chris had been taken into custody. The Chronicle-Herald is reporting that neighbors saw Chris Falconer apprehended on Brothers Street in New Glasgow, and The New Glasgow News reports that an arrest related to the Amber Kirwan investigation had been made. News 95.7 quotes RCMP media relations as saying “no individual has been arrested or is in custody in relation to the Amber Kirwan homicide”.
Local RCMP executed a search warrant on a home near the scene where the body of Amber Kirwan was found. The Chronicle-Herald reports that a woman who lives there, Alice Meier, is believed to be the sister of Chris Alexander Falconer. One of two men convicted of second-degree murder in the 1998 killing of a cab driver on Heathbell Road. CBC reports that a mobile command unit has been deployed to the location Wednesday morning.
The RCMP announced at a press conference Tuesday that a vehicle, a 2002 Grey Chevy Impala, was seized in connection with the Amber Kirwan case. Police remained tight lipped about the location and owner of the vehicle. However, sources are suggesting the seizure happened on Vale Road just before dusk on Monday, and that Chris Falconer is known to live on that same road.
Witnesses say the vehicle’s interior was covered in plastic, and that the vehicle’s owner looked on from their front steps as the Police prepared to remove the vehicle from the property. Sources also say Police had search dogs on this same street during the day Sunday.
Kirwan disappeared October 9. Amber’s friends said she was meeting her boyfriend, Mason Campbell, a block away. Campbell told police she did not show.
Video from the Dooly’s pool hall shows her leaving at 1:30 a.m.
